Sohaku Kago
Sohaku Kago (寵 宗魄, Kago Sōhaku) is a character in the manga series Tenjou Tenge. He is the true head of F, and Souichiro Nagi's estranged father. Character outline Sohaku is the first and only person to ever be head of the Kago family, as he has lived for several centuries because of his unique power. He also is the true head of F. For unknown reasons, it has been his goal to awaken dormant powers in people across the world through the use of the Red Wing Resonance Effect. At one time he had a relationship with Makiko Nagi, and fathered Souichiro as a result. He typically appears with white slicked back hair, a young face and narrow eyes (sometimes with goggles on his head). He will get what he wants by any means even seemingly brainwashing and possessing people through the use of various jutsu, and he has a habit of getting rid of people when they are no longer useful to him. He has always been in conflict with the other founding families and is often responsible for many of their deaths. Much like Dogen Takayanagi, Sohaku has some desire to make an ultimate warrior. He uses a different means than Dogen, as he views the ultimate warrior as someone that could use all the Dragon’s Gates. He attempted to do this with Makiko by using of her family’s ability, the Dragon's Fist, to absorb the other families’ powers. However, he deemed it a failure as he concluded that Makiko’s body was too weak to handle her dragon. He did repeat the same process eight years later with his son, Souichiro, and achieved better results. Sohaku has apparently survived without most people figuring out he is nearly immortal by frequently assuming new personas. In Feudal Japan, Sohaku initially went by the name Akechi Mitsuhide, who is a real person in Japanese history. Much like the historical Akechi was suspected of doing, he faked his death and then claimed to be a High Buddhist priest named Tenkai. Like the historical Tenkai, he supposedly functioned as an advisor to Ieyasu Tokugawa. However, in the manga's version of history, he essentially controlled the local government through a magical jutsu he used on a then isolated Ieyasu. Synopsis Manga F Arc The Takayanagi family has historically been supported by 12 families, represented as the feathers of the Takayanagi family Flying Phoenix. A new alliance, lead by the former heads children, has formed under Mitsuomi Takayanagi and they call themselves 'F'. So far it consists primarily of White Feather families, Sohaku and Jushi Mataza Tsumuji are the only members with Red Feather relations. While F is supposed to follow Mitsuomi's orders, they attack the Juken club despite the order to wait for the election tournament. It is revealed Mitsuomi took assistance from Sohaku, the true head of F, when he overthrown his father. Knowing that Sohaku only considers him a puppet ruler, Mitsuomi does not consider F to be his true wing, but nonetheless it leads to a power struggle between the two. Sohaku first appears when he kidnaps Souichiro from the hospital and forces him to fight various people with Red Feather powers so he can steal their powers. Mitsuomi and Maya work together to rescue Souichiro and kill Sohaku. Despite the fact Souichiro and Madoka Mawari are hesitant to kill Sohaku, Mitsuomi quickly beheads him. Mitsuomi then leaves to assist Maya in her recovery after her battle with Tetsuhito, and sends Madoka away with Reiki to assist Tessen Ishiyumi and the others. Souichiro remains in the room alone were he is confronted with Noriko, who has the power to control others through use of her Dragon's Roar. During this time, Reiki manifests itself for Aya Natsume in order to guide her to view certain points in past for Aya to understand Sohaku better. It initially shows her the origins of Tetsuhito's powers, and Makiko's relationship with Sohaku. Feudal Japan Arc Later Reiki takes Aya to another point in history, it is during the Feudal Japan Era. At this time Aya’s ancestor is with group of various Red Feather family members trying to kill Sohaku in order to bring peace. Sohaku had fortified himself inside Osaka Castle with Senhime, the Magatama Shrine Maiden, whose power caused the neutralization of other’s power when in close proximity. Since Sohaku knew the other families were coming after him, he built a barrier that would reverse the Magatama Shrine Maiden’s power and turn it into amplification. When the Red Feathers attacked him, their power would cause a Resonance Effect that would go around the world awake all the dormant power users. His plan failed when Masanobu Sadonokami Honda helped Aya’s ancestor to sneak into the castle, so she could stab him. He was fatally wounded and could not use his power because he was in the same room as the Magatama Shrine Maiden. After he killed his attacker, he transferred his consciousness in his right eye and somehow hid it inside Senhime’s dead dog. There he waited until Senhime was removed from the Castle and he could use his power to resurrect the dog and leave. Two years later, Tetsuhito and Noriko attack Tokuan Shojo, Masanobu, and Ieyasu Tokugawa. Impersonating the believed to be dead Sohaku, Tokuan Shojo gets his eye ripped out and replaced by Sohaku’s. This allowed him to gain full control over the body and is also the reason why he still looks like himself. Afterward he forces the other families to call a truce by promising that he will not cause more trouble for a little while. Back in the present time Noriko, carrying Sohaku's severed head, takes out Souichiro's right eye and it is implied Sohaku's is inserted in its place. Unlike before, Sohaku does not take complete control over the body, but instead seem content waiting for the right time. Tournament Arc Later on Aya's Dragon's Eyes activate (yet only the right takes the normal Dragon's Eye appearance), Sohaku reveals his consciousness is inside of Souichiro and warns her to keep quiet about him. As Aya has her confrontation with Hirohiko Myouun Kabane and Nokimi Mayutsubo, it is implied that in his next fight against someone with special powers Souichiro will be overtaken by his Dragon. This is part of Sohaku's plan as he wishes to overtake Souichiro at that time. Sohaku seems to also want to create another barrier that will activate Maya's Amaterasu Dragon's Gate. However, this barrier, in contrast with the one he created in Feudal Japan, actually encompasses all of Japan itself. During Souichirou's fight with Kabane, Sohaku finally makes his bid for power over his son. Driving Nagi into becoming overwhelmed by his power and entering a berserker's rage, in which he kills Kabane Nui, Sohaku gains a substantial amount of control, to the point where he begins to speak for Nagi. When Kabane causes the Takayanagi building to collapse in a last ditch effort to kill Sohaku, Noriko Inue arrives in order to help procure Souichirou's body for Sohaku. When it seems she is going to use her Dragon's Roar to do so, Souichirou gains some power of Sohaku and punches her in the mouth, destroying her tongue. Souichirou then comes face to face with his father inside his mind. As they are about to begin their battle, Souichirou explains how he figured out Sohaku's true nature, and how he truly fights. After having his true nature as a coward outed by his own son, Sohaku blasts Souichirou away with a mental blast, explaining that only those with mental strength could truly fight on the mindscape. It's then that he is wounded by what he thought to be a feint earlier from Souichirou. He then witnesses his son as he shows Sohaku his conviction as a fighter surpasses even Sohaku's own power. As he is completely overpowered, he witnesses his son begging for "more" in the opportunity to hit him, meaning that despite all they had been through, Souichirou still recognized him as his father who he couldn't help but love. Flashing back to the beginning of the Imperial Japan, and through events came to know the spirit of Reiki and the ancient ancestor of the Nagi clan. Its shown that he swore to make Japan as strong as the willow in honor of his friend, the first Emperor of Japan. Showing his benevolence to his friend and how over the past two thousand years he has lost and been witness to more travesties that anyone. As Sohaku's long life comes to a close, his final words/thoughts are "He's great.....my son." allowing his soul to rest after a long lifetime at the hands of his son. His powers are then eaten by Souichirou and leaving his son with no one but himself in his mindscape. Techniques & Abilities Flaming Dragon's Gate Sohaku has power of the Flaming Dragon's Gate, which enables him to redirect the flow of KI back into the dead, thus giving them life again. He also seems to have some ability to reverse age as he has kept himself, Noriko Shindayu Inue, and Tetsuhito Kagiroi alive and young since feudal times. He also has the ability to store his consciousness in his right eye, allowing his soul to migrate to another body if needed, though it seems he has only done this twice. This ability does cause confusion to Souichiro's biological parentage, since Sohaku is assumed to still be in Tokuan Shojo's body during Souichiro conception. Jutsu *'Manipulation Jutsu': This jutsu involves a strange amulet that contains some sort of energy as well as a charm. With this jutsu, Sohaku is able to observe and influence the person has with the amulet to the point of mind control. For the person being influenced, it has been shown to increases pain threshold as well as as their ability and powers. The jutsu is broken through the destruction of the amulet and the release of the energy contained within. As soon as this happens, lightning goes through a strange tablet at Sohaku's compound and jumps to destroy the charm. Also when the jutsu is broken, it seems to take a physical toll on Sohaku. *'Acupuncture Jutsu': Sohaku used an acupuncture based spell, combine with Makiko's eye to grant Tetsuhito Kagiroi the knowledge and ability to use all of the Dragon's Gates she had stolen. *'Tessen Jutsu' (Iron Fan Art): Sohaku has great skill in using a steel ribbed war fan for combat. He has enough strength and skill to slice a man's head cleanly off using just an iron fan, as well as parry the blows of his son Souichiro with little effort. Category:Characters Category:Kago Family Category:F Category:Male